positioned within the small village of huairou, a two hours drive away from the urban center of beijing, china, the ‘liyuan library’ by chinese practice li xiaodong atelier is encompassed within a mountainous and forested landscape. a five minute stroll from the village’s center, the fully glazed interior contains quiet and contemplative reading spaces and a series of platforms which integrate shelving for books. after analyzing the region’s characteristics, an exterior screen clad with ordinary sticks was chosen to conceal the glass facade, receding into the surrounding nature without competing with it.

stepped interior with integrated shelving for books

the original use for the material is to heat the villager’s cooking stoves and was found in collected piles around homes of the area. the locally sourced components were placed in rows with slight spacingleading to an evenly diffused light for a brightly illuminated reading atmosphere. a cubic grid of structural timber encloses the 175 square meter area, becoming a uniform framework for stairs, windows and stepped seating for impromptu chairs.

quiet and contemplative reading nook with views to the mountains

approach from the village

mountains and nature encompass the library

entry elevation recedes into the surrounding nature

void frames views of the landscape beyond

stairway

rows of sticks conceal the glazed interior

facade detail

piles of wooden sticks for facade

bundled sticks used to heat villagers stoves were collected as the raw facade material

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